Everybody knows the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. The big bad wolf eats Little Red Riding Hood’s grandma, dresses up in the grandma’s nightgown and proceeds to attack the little girl.

Then the woodsman comes to the rescue, saves Little Red Riding Hood and cuts the grandma out of the wolf’s belly.

But what if there was more to the story than meets the eye? What if the four characters were possible victims, witnesses and suspects to a bigger, more serious crime?

The animated movie “Hoodwinked!” takes the simple children’s story to a far more complex, surprising and funny level.

And maybe the best part is that it’s the work of three Anderson University graduates.

On Friday, “Hoodwinked!” — starring the voices of Glenn Close, Anne Hathaway, Jim Belushi and Patrick Warburton — will show in 1,800 theaters nationwide, including Mounds Mall 10 Theaters in Anderson.

In this version of the story there has been a domestic disturbance at Granny’s cottage that filled the place with furry and feathered police officers from the animal world. What the quirky cops find are a wide-eyed girl, a seemingly-sinister wolf and a man with an ax, and a jumble of charges including breaking and entering, disturbing the peace, intent to eat and wielding an ax without a license.

Two brothers and a sister — all Anderson University graduates — are primarily responsible for the new version. The siblings also happen to be AU President James Edwards’ three children.

Cory Edwards, a 1990 AU graduate, and Todd Edwards, a 1994 AU graduate, wrote and directed the movie along with Tony Leech. Their sister, Katie (Edwards) Hooten, who graduated from Highland High School in 1992 and from AU in 1996, is the associate producer.

The movie boasts several other local ties. Preston Stutzman, another AU alum, is a producer for the movie. The siblings’ cousin, Tye Edwards, who voices the part of Japeth the singing mountain goat, graduated from Highland High School in 1991 and later from AU. And another voice talent, Benjy Gaither, whose character is Dolph, is from Alexandria, an AU grad and the son of Bill and Gloria Gaither.

NEW TWIST ON OLD TALE

The movie begins at the end and goes back through four different versions of the “truth” — each from one of the four main characters as they are questioned by a detective.

Little Red Riding Hood, better known as Red in the movie, tells the story we all know, but in a much sassier style than we would have expected from the innocent girl. The ill-reputed wolf is actually an undercover reporter trying to get a scoop for a forest newspaper. Granny is no little, frail, helpless lady — rather an extreme sports enthusiast. And the woodsman doesn’t even know how to swing an ax — he’s an aspiring actor auditioning to be a woodsman.

Detectives are also investigating whether this case is linked to the “Goody Bandit,” who has been stealing recipes from goody shops everywhere.

“It’s a little bit of a whodunit mystery,” said associate producer Katie Hooten, 31. “The characters reveal things the audience won’t anticipate.